Machine for placing and removing nuts upon rail-securing bolts.



No. 819,398. PATENTED MAY 1, 1906.

W. E. N. BALSLEY.

MACHINE FOR PLACING AND REMOVING NUTS UPON BAIL SECURING BOLTS.

APPLICATION FILED mums, 190s.

E WM? UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIGEt .WILLIAM E. N. BALSLEY, OF SHERANDO,VIRGINIA.

MACHINE FOR PLACING AND REMOVING NUTS UPON-.RAlL-S ECURING BOLTS}retreated May 1,1966.

Application filed January 16, 1906. Serial No. 296,337.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1,- WILLIAM E. N. BALS- LEY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Sherando', in the county of Augusta and State ofVirginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machinesfor Placing and Removing Nuts upon Rail-Connecting Bolts; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact de scriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference markedthereon,which form a part of'this specification.

This Invention relates to new and useful improvements in apparatusfortightening or loosening nuts upon railways, &c. and the object of theinvention is to roduce a simple and efficient apparatus 0 this characterwhereby a plurality of nuts may be tightened or loosened simultaneously.

My invention comprises various details of construction and combinationsand arrangements of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described andthen specifically defined in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompadrawings, in which- Figure 1is a side elevation of my apparatus for tightening and looseningnuts.Fig. 2 is a' cross-sectional view through the device, showing parts inelevation. Fig. 3 is a detail view, and Fig. 4 is a side elevationopposite the one shown'in Fig. 1.

Reference now being had to the details of the 'drawings'by letter, Adesignates a rectan gular outlined frame, preferably of metal, andelongated slots B are formed in the opposite longitudinal walls of saidcasing, and C O designate two shafts passing through oppositely-disposedelongated slots B and each designed to have a yielding longitudinalmovement. A- corresponding end of each of the shafts O has a socketmember C, designed to fitover a nut, and keyed to each shaft 0 is aratchet-wheel D; A spring F is mounted upon each shaft 0 and interposedbetween the-wheel D and the inner surface of the op posite longitudinalWall of the casing, the purpose of said springs beingto hold the shaftsyielding-ly in such'positi-onsthat said ratchetwheelswil l be adjacentto the inner face of the side ofthe' casing. nearest said socketmembers.6 designates a third shaft, which is similar to the shafts C andismountedin registering apertures in the opp'osite longitudinal wall ofthe casing and is provided with a socket member C similar to the socketmembers 0 described, and a ratchet-wheel C" is fixed to said shaft C andaspring (not shown) is interposed between the ratchetwheel C and theopposite longitudinal side ofthe casing.

E E designate levers which are pivotedat their lower ends to the shaftsC, and each of said levers carries pawls E pivotally mount ed within thelever, and latches E are fastened to each lever and their free ends areadapted to bear against saidpawls"that" is, when it is desired to movethe leverin one di= rection or the other one of the pawls is thrown outof engagement with the wheel D by mov-' ing the latch E and throwing thepawl against the tension of the spring W, which is utter? posed betweensaid pawls, as shown clearly in Fig. 3 of the drawings. pivotallymounted upon the shaft O and has similarly-mounted latches thereonadapted to engage the pawls Gr against the tension of the springs W. Across-piece H pivotally connects the three levers and holds them; spacedapart, and the. lever G is'extended above the cross-piece, providing ahandle,

whereby the three levers may be operated in unison. In order to guidethe leversa's they are swung back and forth, I provide" the curved rodI, the ends of which are fastened to the ends of the frame, and suitableguidesprings I are secured to the outside levers, whereby the latter maybe held adjacent to said guide-rod I as the latter is swung-backward andforward.

Referring to the side elevation of the draw:

A thirdlever G 1s ings, there will be seen the adjusting screwstl, 9 5

having eyes therein in which the ends of said shafts C are journaled,and an adjusting-nut J is mounted upon the threaded portion ofeachof'said' screws, which latter are mounted horizontally and held by theeyesJ upon the frame, whereby the shafts C maybe adjusted within theframe; To allow for this adjustment, it will be observed that thecross-piece H is provided with apertures H, whereby thepi-votal pinconnecting the levers" with said cross-piece may be also adjusted,

fMounted upon the opposite longitudinal sides of the frame are the twobars Qhaving serrations 0 upon their lower edges, and pivotal strips I?areconnected' to said bars and are perforated. Q Q designate pins whichare mounted upon springs Q, and each spring Q is fixed at Q to thecasing, and each of said pins is designed to engage registeringapertures in said strips and casing in order to hold the bars inadjusted positions. Said bars are adapted to rest upon ties and to holdthe apparatus securely from slipping by the teeth thereof biting intothe ties of a railway.

Mounted in the ears S, projecting from one face of the casing, is a barS, and T designates angled bars having eyes which are pivotally mountedin said rod and also provided with a threaded aperture T, in which anangled screw W is adapted to be adjusted. Said angled screws areprovided for the purpose of engaging over a rail and holding the casingadjacent to the nuts while they are being tightened or loosened, and theangled ends of said screws are provided with recessed or concavedportions adapted to receive the ends of bolts passing through the rail.By this construction it will be noted that said angled plate may beswung backward to allow the device to be adjusted to a rail and thescrews may be adjusted to adapt the apparatus to be hpld in properposition with reference to a ra1 If desired, the socket members may beutilized as chucks for the reception of drills and the resilient forceof the springs utilized to feed the drill while being operated by theswinging movements of the levers.

The operation of my invention will be readily understood when taken inconnection with the foregoing and the drawings forming a part of thisapplication and is as follows: The serrated bars being adjusted to theheight of a rail, the adjustable screws with eyes formed therein and towhich said shafts O are j ournaled along the opposite longitudinal wallsof the frame are then adjusted so that the three socket members forengagement with the. nuts will come opposite the nuts to betightened orloosened, after which the angled screws are swung over the rail and theconcaved portions at the angled ends of said screws are made to engageover the ends of the bolts passing through the rail. The springs mountedupon the shaft will serve to hold the socket members yieldingly a ainstthe nuts, and the operator swinging the lovers back and forth may causethe nuts to be turned in one direction or the other by the adjustment ofthe dogs in the manner shown.

From the foregoing it will be noted that by the provision of theapparatus shown and descri ed a simple and eificient means is affordedwhereby a plurality of nuts may be tightened or loosened by the simplemanipulation of the swinging movement of the lever, the dogs being 0erated to regulate the rotary movements 0 the shafts.

What I claim is 1. A device for tightening and loosening screws frombolts comprising a frame, a series of longitudinally-movable shaftsmounted therein, socket members upon said shafts adapted to engage nuts,ratchetwheels rotating with said shafts, a series of swinging levers journaled upon said shafts, pawls carried by the levers and engaging theratchetwheels, one of said shafts bein mounted in fixed bearings and theothers in adjustable bearin s, a rod mounted in suitable bearings upon te side of the frame, a bar pivotally mounted upon said rod, andadjustable anglescrews mounted u on said bar adapted to engage the endsof bolts upon which nuts engaged by the socket members are mounted, asset forth.

2. A device for tightening and loosening screws from bolts comprising aframe, a series of longitudinally-movable shafts mounted therein, socketmembers upon said shafts adapted to engage nuts, ratchet-wheels rotatingwith said shafts, a series of swinging levers ournaled upon said shafts,the middle of said shafts mounted in fixed bearings, eyebolts mounted inthreaded bearings u on the frame and in the eyes of which bo ts, theshafts on either side of the central shaft are journaled, adjusting-nuts mounted upon said eyebolts, whereby the latter may be movedlongitudinally, and means carried by the frame for engaging a bolt uponwhich a nut to be loosened or tightened by said socket members ismounted, as set forth.

3. A device for tightening and loosening screws from bolts comprising aframe, a series of longitudinally-movable shafts mounted therein, socketmembers upon said shafts adapted to engage nuts, ratchet-wheels r0-tating with said shafts, a series of swinging levers j ournaled uponsaid shafts, the middle of said shafts mounted in fixed bearings,eyebolts mounted in threaded bear' gs u on the frame and in the eyes ofwhich bo ts, the shafts on either side of the central shaft arejournaled, adjusting-nuts mounted upon said eyebolts, whereby the lattermay be moved longitudinally, a rod journaled in suitable bearings in theframe of the apparatus, a bar mounted upon said rod, and anglescrewscarried by said bar and adapted to engage the ends of bolts upon whichnuts to be loosened by said socket members are mounted, as set forth.

4. A device for tightening and loosening screws from bolts comprising aframe, a series of longitudinally-movable shafts mounted therein, socketmembers upon said shafts adapted to engage nuts, ratchet-wheels rotatingwith said shafts, a series of swinging levers j ournaled upon saidshafts, the middle of said shafts mounted in fixed bearings, eyeboltsmounted in threaded bearings u on the frame and in the eyes of which b0ts, the shafts on either side of the central shaft are journaled,adjusting-nuts mounted upon said eyebolts, whereby the latter may bemovedv apertures insaid perforated bars and frame,

longitudinally, and means carried by the as set forth. 1o

tram for engaging a bolt u on which a nut In testimony whereof Ihereunto afliX my ,/'to be loosened or tightene by said socket signaturein the presence of two witnesses.

/ 5 members is mounted, perforated bars, a ser- WILLIAM E. N. BALSLEY.

rated strip connected to said bars, leaf-springs Witnesses: fixed tosaid frame, and pins carried by said A. L. HOUGH,

springs and adapted to engage registering G. F. CQINER.

